Here are the players who made the biggest impact on August 5 and the stats to prove it.
TOP PERFORMERS OF THE DAY:
George King SMB SG 46 PTS | 14 REB | 6 AST | 76.8 FPS
The San Miguel import was simply on another level. Already the No. 1 scorer in the league this conference, he elevated his game even further today, posting his second 40-point performance and establishing a new conference high. He came out hot with 16 first-quarter points on 6-of-8 shooting and finished with a highly efficient stat line, going 13-of-17 from two and 3-of-4 from three.
Kentrell Debarus Barkley BWB SF 34 PTS | 16 REB | 2 BLK | 64.7 FPS
Though Barkley had a slow start with just two points in the opening period, he turned it around by exploding for 27 points across the second and third quarters. He also finished with his second consecutive 30-point outing, raising his tournament average to 29.8 points which is the fourth-best mark in the league.
June Mar Fajardo SMB C 21 REB | 10 AST | 4 BLK | 57.2 FPS
In terms of scoring, Fajardo was quiet again, shooting just 1-for-8 from two-point range. But he dominated in just about every other way—posting his best rebounding output in two conferences, matching his season high in assists, and leading all players in blocks.
Robert Johnson III PHX SF 45 PTS | 7 REB | 2 AST | 53.4 FPS
The Fuel Masters had a really difficult time scoring so Johnson took matters into his own hands. He came out firing with 17 first-quarter points and kept his foot on the gas, adding 12 in the second and 11 in the third to set a new scoring high. His outside shooting made the difference, as he knocked down seven three-pointers after converting just 4-of-21 in his previous three outings.
Calvin Abueva CON PF 26 PTS | 12 REB | 2 BLK | 51.9 FPS
Recently, the veteran forward has been making a big impact, providing solid value across the board. But today, he completely broke out, turning in his best performance for Converge. He started strong with 12 first-half points and delivered 12 more in the fourth to lead the team in scoring.
Ricci Paolo Rivero PHX SF 15 PTS | 7 REB | 8 AST | 35.4 FPS
The Phoenix forward has yet to find his offensive rhythm, going 7-of-20 on two-pointers and averaging 12.5 points in his last two games. But he’s compensated by doing a bit of everything, including finishing with a game-high mark in assists.
Juan Gerardo Gomez De Liaño CON PG 12 PTS | 10 REB | 8 AST | 34.0 FPS
Offensively, this has been a largely underwhelming conference for Juan and today was more of the same, as he shot just 6-for-17 from the field. Three-point shooting remains his biggest issue; he has now gone a dismal 1-for-18 from deep across seven games. Still, he turned in a strong all-around performance, setting a new conference-high in rebounds and notching his second double-double of the conference.
Justin Arana CON C 17 PTS | 10 REB | 3 AST | 33.5 FPS
Once again, the Converge big man made his mark in the paint, shooting 53% from two to record his fifth 15-point game while also recording his third 10-rebound output of the conference. This performance also gave him his 11th double-double of the season.
Celedonio Trollano SMB SF 27 PTS | 2 REB | 3 AST | 31.9 FPS
Trollano continues to roll offensively, setting a new conference-high in scoring. He caught fire in the middle frames, pouring in 11 points in the second quarter and adding 10 more in the third to help his team pull further ahead. Through seven games this conference, he’s been their leading local scorer with an average of 16.6 points.
Sedrick Barefield BWB SG 26 PTS | 3 REB | 3 AST | 31.1 FPS
The Blackwater guard struggled badly in their first round loss against Phoenix, posting a conference-low in scoring. But he turned the page today, finishing as the game’s leading local scorer while also registering his third 20-point game of the conference. He set the tone early with eight points in the opening quarter and came through in the final period, dropping 11.
James Una BWB PF 8 PTS | 10 REB | 2 BLK | 31.0 FPS
Having made little impact over his last three games, the Blackwater big man turned things around today, contributing strongly on both ends of the floor. He particularly stood out in the paint where he shot 4-of-7 on two-pointers and grabbed seven offensive rebounds.
Kainoa Bryson Ballungay PHX PF 12 PTS | 9 REB | 2 AST | 24.8 FPS
Despite managing only six total points on 3-for-9 shooting from two in his last two games, the big man thrived today, converting 5-of-9 on two-point attempts for his second double-digit scoring outing while also finishing with his best rebounding game of the conference.
Gian Robert Mamuyac PHX PG 4 PTS | 4 AST | 4 STL | 21.2 FPS
In his first three games with Phoenix, Mamuyac has been a steady threat from two-point area, averaging 10.7 points on 67% shooting. He couldn’t maintain that form today, however, shooting just 1-for-6 from the field for a new conference-low. Still, he stayed impactful, providing strong contributions in the secondary categories.
Marcio Lassiter SMB SG 9 PTS | 5 AST | 1 STL | 19.5 FPS
The sharpshooting guard provided a huge spark offensively for San Miguel. He was on target from deep, knocking down three triples for the fourth time in five games while also posting a season-high in assists.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE DAY:
Michael Kurtiz Williams CON SG 2 PTS | 1 REB | 4 AST | 6.2 FPS
The former MVP just couldn’t get anything going against San Miguel. He struggled to score, shooting just 1-of-7 from the field and missing all four of his attempts from long-range. He also made minimal impact in other areas while committing three turnovers.
